The Congregations of St. Mark’s and St. David’s
United Church of Canada
Port Hawkesbury/Port Hastings, NS
Office: 625-2229, Fax 625-3597, e-mail: stmarksuc@gmail.com
Blog: http://ourcontactonline.blogspot.com/
Presbytery Website: inverguyunited.ca
Ministers: The Whole People of God Minister: Nan Corrigan D.M.
Minister of Music: Al Fougere
May 13th, 2018-7th Sunday of Easter-Christian Family Sunday
Special Days This Week May 16 – Ramadan begins (Islam)
Muslims believe that during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, the Holy Qur’an was sent down from heaven. It was revealed to the prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel as “a guidance for mortals, a declaration of direction, and a means to salvation.”
The month of Ramadan is a time of worship and contemplation during which Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of everyday life. Daylight hours are spent in fasting, prayer, and study of the Qur’an.
At the end of the day, the fast is broken, but it is resumed the next morning. Ramadan ends with the holiday of Id-al-Fitr (the Feast of the Fast Breaking), three days of celebration with gifts, meals, and prayers. Copyright © Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2017 Seasons of the Spirit™ SeasonsFUSION Lent • Easter 2018, p. 196
Announcements The Work of Church and Community
A Celebration of Families Multiple Voices
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
The peace of Christ be with you. All: And with your spirit.*Introit Each Blade of Grass verse 2 MV 37
Call to Worship Based on Psalm 1
One: Happy are those whose delight is in the law of God.
All: With a welcome heart, we shine.
One: On God’s law they meditate day and night.
All: With a joyful heart, we sing.
One: They are like trees planted by streams of water.
All: With a happy heart, we laugh.
One: They yield fruit in its season.
All: With a loving heart, we grow.
One: God watches over the righteous.
All: With a dancing heart, we delight.
Opening Prayer
God of Eternal Truth
help us to continue to look for signs of new life in our midst:
in cities and in the fields, on streets and country roads,
in the mountains and in the lakes, in the trees and in the wind,
in the faces and in the lives of everyone we meet –
in all these things we see the signs that you, God, are always with us. We pray in the name of the risen Christ. Amen.
*Hymn Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love VU 57
Prayer for Wholeness
Loving God, we thank you for today.
And as we approach the celebration of Pentecost, for that day,
long ago, when you poured yourself out, in a new and marvelous way, to renew your people and your creation.
We thank you for reaching out to us
in ways that surprise us, and even shock us.
We confess that sometimes we have trouble loving our neighbours.
Often we do not understand others—their languages, their customs, their religions, their lifestyles and orientations—
and so we build walls that keep us apart.
Misunderstanding fills us with fear,
and keeps us from being the loving, caring people you want us to be.
Forgive us, we pray. Bring us back again to a sense of the wholeness you desire for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Assurance of Love
Though we may feel alone, God never abandons us.
Though we forget and have our doubts, Christ is always faithful. Though we may not feel the presence of the Spirit,
the power of the Spirit is always there.
Thanks be to God who is ever with us,
ever forgives us, ever loves us!
WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD
Acts 1:15–17, 21–26 Matthias is elected as an apostle.One: This is the witness of the early church. All: Thanks be to God.
Psalm 1 Blessed are those who delight in God’s law. VU 724
*Hymn I Have Called You by Your Name MV 161
Opening the Word & the Lord’s Prayer
The Gospel Acclamation
John 17:6–19 Jesus prays that “they may be one, as we are one.”
One: The gospel of Jesus Christ. All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Opening the Word 2
WE RESPOND IN FAITH
* Hymn When We Are Living VU 581Minute for Mission & Offering Our Gifts to God
*Offering Hymn We Praise You, O God verse 1 only VU 218
A Litany of Women for Mother's Day
This litany picks up on the story in Acts of the disciples choosing a 12th member of their group, and the reference to the fact that there were “a number of women” present at that first meeting.
Leader: Let us give thanks for the lives of faithful women:
Women: Women who followed Jesus: undisclosed and unknown, who call us to follow.
Men: You have turned our world and guided our faith.
Women: Followers of Jesus: Mary and Martha, who call us to friendship.
Men: You have turned our world and guided our faith.
Women: Those waiting at the cross: Salome and Mary, who call us to watch and wait.
Men: You have turned our world and guided our faith.
Women: Those who went to the garden that first Easter morning, not knowing what they would find, but determined to offer witness and care, including Mary of Magdala, the very first to proclaim Christ risen.
Men: You have turned our world and guided our faith.
Women: Leaders in the early church: Lydia, Phoebe, and Dorcas who call us to work faithfully.
Men: You have turned our world and guided our faith.
Women: Founders of communities: Brigid of Ireland, Hildegard of Bingen, and Clare of Assisi.
Men: You have turned our world and guided our faith.
Women: Women who challenged the structures of the church: Katie Luther, Susannah Wesley, Katherine Zell, and Anne Hutchinson.
Men: You have turned our world and guided our faith.
Women: In today’s world, Mother Theresa, Maude Barlow, Viola Desmond, Malala Yousafzai, the mothers of the disappeared, and all who call us to work tirelessly for justice.
Men: You have turned our world and guided our faith.
Women: The strong and faithful women from right here who have challenged and affirmed us, nurtured our faith and supported our growth—especially remembering today our own mothers.
Men: You have turned our world and guided our faith.
Leader: Thank you, God, for these and countless other women who have nourished the Christian faith for over 2000 years. Amen.
WE GO TO SERVE GOD
* Hymn Would You Bless Our Homes and Families VU 556*Commissioning
*Choral Amen
